Another year on...

Hi Holly,

I've just noticed that it's a year since I started the Hollyblog - another year with no word, no photos and not being allowed to even give you a present... How much longer will it be before the vindictiveness stops and some reason ensues... I miss you so much...

I wish you'd been with me yesterday - I started learning the tenor saxophone about 2 years ago (can't remember if I've already mentioned that?). It's the musical instrument I'd always liked the sound of and it's been great fun learning to play - although the most difficult bit has been learning to read music! I wish someone could invent a simpler way than all those lines and crotchets and quavers and minims... Anyway, for the last 6 weeks or so, I've been practising for my first big performance - in front of about 1000 people!! I was part of an orchestra of 130 people playing sax, trumpet, trombone, flute and percussion who played in the Royal Pavilion Gardens - a newly written piece called 'This Beautiful World'. It was quite scary as we were surrounding the audience and the people in front of us could hear if we got it wrong - which I did on a couple of occasions! Pip was playing her flute in it too, although she's been playing since she was a little girl, so she's really good! Katie and Michael came to watch (Ian's away in France at the moment), which was nice, but it would have been even nicer if you could have been there too for my first ever performance...

I was wondering whether you've learnt to play an instrument... I wish I'd learned when I was your age as it's taken me until I'm 47 to find out what fun it is playing in a band! If I was in touch, I would definitely be encouraging you to learn something - Mike's son has taken up the drums and he had his first gig in a band last week at the age of 12 - he was really good!

Anyway, apart from music, life here has been hectic. Michael has his AS Level exams coming up over the next month, so he has been revising like mad. It's all change at work as we are becoming part of a new organisation on June 1st, so there has been loads of preparation work to do, apart from all the normal stuff. Pip and I are going away for a week's holiday next Sunday (now that I'm getting really old, I like to get out of the country for my birthday so that there's as little fuss made as possible..!), so I've got to get extra stuff done this week too. All fun and games...

The other bit of excitement you missed out on was the Seagulls staying in the Championship on the very last day of the season... It was very tense - I'm sure your Dad genes would have made you a Seagull fan if life had been different - maybe one day you'll become one anyway - it would have been nice to have gone to the games with you, like so many other Dads do with their daughters..

Anyway, got to go to work now so I'll sign off here - I hope everything in your life is good and I hope one day you will know that I was always thinking about you and always missing you... I love you always..

Dad.
xxx